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The Lion's Mouth: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel

Review

We continue to incrementally receive Anne Holt’s Hanne Wilhelmsen canon, and are blessed for it. A bit of backstory is necessary before we discuss THE LION’S MOUTH, the latest Wilhelmsen book to be released in the US. It was first published in 1997, though readers won’t really notice once they get past the initial instinct to wonder why everyone just doesn’t google everything on their smartphones. Also, it is worth noting that two books in the series (this one and WITHOUT ECHO) were co-written by Holt and Berit Reiss-Andersen. This is an intriguing series, even out of sequence, and is all the more so due to the fine translation of this volume by Anne Bruce. Let’s raise a glass to our translators of fine Nordic fiction and others; they broaden our horizons.

"The Wilhelmsen series exemplifies all that we love about Nordic noir --- from the strong characterization to the complex and wonderful mysteries that form the core of each and every installment thus far."

Now to THE LION’S MOUTH. Wilhelmsen is Chief Inspector of the Norwegian Police, but the motivating events here bear some resemblance to real world occurrences. Olof Palme, the Prime Minister of Sweden, was assassinated in 1986, and his murder remains officially unsolved. A similar deed takes place here; the Prime Minister of Norway is found dead with a bullet wound to the head. The immediate question raised --- paired, of course, with who did it --- is whether the death was motivated by political or personal considerations. Wilhelmsen is on leave when the incident occurs --- in Berkeley, interestingly enough --- and while she attempts to remain interested yet uninvolved, she simply cannot.

Different law enforcement agencies on the local and national levels are running independent investigations, each withholding crucial evidence from the other while barely communicating, if at all. One government official has a case of the chatterbox with the press, a quality that winds up impeding the investigation further. The theories behind the murder range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Wilhelmsen and her enigmatic police partner, Billy T., do their part to rein in what they can of the investigation in an attempt to bring some semblance of order to the proceedings.

However, when the murder and subsequent investigation uncover some long dormant secrets concerning the Prime Minister’s past, things threaten to come wholly unraveled. You can almost hear the clock begin ticking in the crevices of the book as the duo attempts to solve the crime before private matters become all too public and threaten to create what all too likely will become a scandalous uproar. It’s an investigation that unfolds over the course of about four weeks, yet is influenced by events that took place over three decades previously.

Holt is a marvel. The Wilhelmsen series exemplifies all that we love about Nordic noir --- from the strong characterization to the complex and wonderful mysteries that form the core of each and every installment thus far. Please note: Holt is in no particular hurry to move things along, but if you stick with it, your patience will be more than rewarded.

Anne Holt

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